preaching
to the choir
I was talking
to this young kid today
at work,
and he was telling me
all about how
we need to break
out of this trap,
that we should be
following our dreams,
how we weren't made
to do this,
and so on
and so on.
I just laughed
and said,
"yeah,
I know."
but I didn't tell him
how people like us
will be working
until we're dead,
just so we can pay for
the Social Security benefits
of the same generation
that fucked us.
no,
I didn't tell him
any of that.
I just didn't
have the heart to.
Gabriel Bates is a poet living in Tiffin, Ohio. His work has appeared in several publications, online and in print, such as Bold Monkey Review, Indian Periodical, The Rusty Truck, and The Rye Whiskey Review, among others. Keep up with him at gabrieljbates.blogspot.com